Thrillers and I haven't gotten along lately. They are generally hit or miss for me, and unfortunately this was another miss. Many thrillers recycle the same ideas over and over, and I feel like I've read the same book over and over. While I enjoyed the writing style and format in Sometimes I Lie, I could never got immersed in it.

2.5 Stars rounded to 3

I’m angry at this book. I mean, I was hooked through the whole dang thing, all the way to the ending. Where I was left wanting to slap someone in the face. Although I called most of the twists early on, there were enough details I didn’t know to allow for some true surprise when all is revealed when Amber wakes up from a coma. Unfortunately, the extra twist at the very end was too OTT for me and I didn’t buy it for a second. I didn’t feel like all the details added up to make that last twist possible. But I see a lot of reviewers giving this 4 and 5 stars and raving about the ending, so maybe it’s just me (or maybe not, maybe I’m just jaded and too cynical in mysteries nowadays). I actually would’ve enjoyed this better if there hadn’t been the final chapter that took place months after Amber’s big decision. Ultimately, I was left with more questions than answers, and not the good ‘ooh this is going to have me thinking for a while’ kinda way. More like, with that last little bit, I felt like the author totally lost the plot. Both figuratively and literally. Once the book ended I had a full page of notes and questions that I felt like weren’t wrapped up very well. To avoid spoilers, I won’t include all of them, and will only include ones that are too general to really gain anything from. But at least this will help explain my lower rating.

• What came of Amber dialing from her home phone the last number dialed and it was Claire’s? Amber said she never called Claire from that phone.
• What about the night Amber can’t find Paul and goes to Claire’s house and her husband David says that he thought she was with Amber? Nothing comes from that.
• When Amber is awake, she specifically says she hears the door close after she “excuses” Claire. She turns around immediately and Claire and the bracelet is gone. Pretty obvious who has it now.
• The diary entries don’t even remotely read like 9-11 year-old wrote them at all.
• The last entry of the diaries is ‘Taylor told me to do it’. Told her to do what?
• At the end Paul wants to celebrate their anniversary but not their wedding anniversary. Does Paul possibly know everything that happened and is celebrating with Amber? Or is it just the anniversary of when she woke up? The chapter happens in Spring 2017 but doesn’t indicate exactly when it is, and there isn’t anything in the book that talks about an anniversary type of event at that time of the year.
• Why does the bracelet have such a specific description at the end?
• Amber’s decision in the end obviously isn’t a quick one. She’s been thinking and planning it for a while. Asking about CCTV cameras at the petrol station and then buys the extra cans of petrol.

Anyway, I’m disappointed. This started so strong and the ending killed it for me. I will probably try this author again as, like I said, I was basically 100% on board and invested until the last like 5%. So obviously I enjoyed the writing style and the story overall.

Copy received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Again I find myself in the minority with this book. I just found it such a chore to read, too many confusing twists, unreliable narrator and unlikeable characters.

Plus the shock at the end, meh sorry not working for me.

Thank you to Flatiron and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. My honest opinion follows.

If you've read the synopsis of this book I'm betting that you're already intrigued. The main character is in a coma, her husband doesn't love her, and we may not be able to trust her! The excitement starts there, but it continues through this whole story. This is a must read for fans of thrillers, and twists.

I really had trouble figuring out the ending and all of the unexpected revelations of this story - and that was a treat! This had short chapters that made the story fly by. It bounced between Amber, our main character, being in a coma but experiencing locked-in syndrome, her life leading up to the coma, and diary entries. This was put together really well.

I didn't know who or what to trust during this story, but it was a great time trying to figure it out. There were lots of layers, but not so many that a reader would have trouble following the story. Uncovering all of the secrets in this book was a lot of fun.

Sometimes I Lie, the debut novel by Alice Feeney, was a book that I was virtually bombarded with last year when it was released in the UK. I watched in jealousy as all my book blogger friends abroad devoured this psychological thriller and I patiently waited for the North American release. Now that it is here, I am pleased to report that Sometimes I Lie was worth the wait!

The novel opens with the introduction of Amber who is in a coma and unable to communicate with the world around her. All she knows for sure is that she is, indeed, in a coma, her husband does not love her anymore and that sometimes she lies. From the first pages, I was pretty much hooked. I appreciated Fenney’s slow release of information and I was eagerly awaiting more clues so I could try and figure out the wrongful parties. How did Amber end up in a coma? Was her husband involved? Maybe her sister? Perhaps her co-worker nemesis? I loved how Feeney kept me on edge and slowly drew me in.

Told mainly through the perspective of Amber, partially in the present as Amber listens to those around her in the hospital and in the past, in the events leading up to the “incident” that put her in a coma, I enjoyed that Feeney was able to keep things fairly chronological and that I didn’t have to do a lot of guesswork to when things happened or read past pages to reorient myself. Her writing style is pretty straight forward and to the point. Aside from a few diary entries from Amber’s youth, I appreciated that it took place all in the present. This was a change from the past few psychological thrillers I have read in which we go further into the past and then shoot back to the present continuously. I also love myself a good, ol’ unreliable narrator.

I have read a few reviews that claim the story is filled with too many of the classic thriller clichés but I personally did not mind this. Was there a lot going on? Sure. Did it work for me? Absolutely. I liked having a little bit of everything thrown in! And I loved the final twist.

Overall, I was impressed with this debut and I will absolutely read more from this author!!

Happy #pubday to Sometimes I Lie! 🎉 I finished this book over the weekend and oh.my.goodness. 🙌🏼 Amber Reynolds is in a coma. This story is told in three time periods- before, then, and now. We alternate between Amber in a coma and trying to assess how she got there, a few days earlier leading up to how she ended up in a coma, and diary entries from 20 years ago. I enjoyed the different viewpoints and did not get confused...until the end, as events start to ramp up. Then I was deliciously, utterly, and amazingly confused. There are so many amazing twists around every corner, the reader gets whiplash. I lost track of how many times I said "whaaaaaat". It left me on the edge of my seat and racing through the pages. This is one of those books that as soon as you finish it, you want to start reading again so you can see all of the clues you missed. I loved this book! There was one scene that I feel was unnecessary and a situation that I don't feel was tied up as well as it could have been. Thank you @flatiron_books for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review. Definitely pick yourself up a copy of this book!

When you hear a novel described as "twisted," you can't help but try to figure out the twists as you are reading. Sometimes I Lie is "twisted" in every sense of the word. You got me, Ms. Feeney!

Amber is in a coma after a car accident, but she can hear and is aware of some of the things going on around her as she fades in and out. The reader gets three perspectives: "Before" tells us the story of Amber's childhood from diary entries. "Then" tells us the events in the week before she had her accident. And "Now" gives us Amber's perspective as she lies in a hospital bed trying to remember what has happened to her and why.

Alice is OCD. She has a sister named Claire. Alice believes that her parents didn't love her, and they loved Claire more. Her husband, Paul, was once a successful writer but has not been able to produce anything recently. Their marriage is strained. Possibly because of this strain, Alice has met with an old boyfriend a few times. The diary talks about a needy kind of childhood friendship with Taylor.

Sometimes I Lie is one of those books where I can't really say anything else. The title is definitely appropriate. And, not only does Feeney tell a good story, she's a good writer. Her descriptions and characterizations are excellent.

Sometimes I Lie is an adult book, and I would only recommend it to very mature teens. It's not that it is that inappropriate, it's just deep. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this book. I am actually a little surprised by how much I ended up liking it. I decided to read this book because I was intrigued by the description. It was that same description that had me worried that this book may not work for me. I love the idea of unreliable narrators but I have had mixed luck with them. Let me just say that this book worked very well for me on all levels. I read almost the whole book in a single day and could seem to stop turning pages. I am so glad that I decided to give this book a try.

This is Amber's story. Amber is in a coma and can hear what is going on around her but can't respond. I was immediately drawn into the story because I felt like I needed to know how Amber ended up in that coma. I wouldn't really say that I liked Amber or any of the other characters in the story but I didn't dislike them either. I had no idea who to trust at any point in the story.

The dual timelines in this book worked well. Piece by piece, we learn the details of what events led up to her hospitalization as well as everything happening around her while she is in the coma. I was really equally interesting in both timelines and thought that the story switched from then to now at just the right moments to keep the story moving forward.

This book was full of twists and turns. It is really best to go into this book as blindly as possible which I was thankfully able to do. As I read the book I quickly discovered that everything that I thought I knew about the story was completely wrong. I was taken by surprise many times over the course of the story and sometimes had to take a short break just to process what I had just learned. I quickly began to expect the unexpected and I still found that I was shocked by some of the twists along the way.

I would recommend this book to others. I loved how this book kept me guessing until the very end. I am really impressed with Alice Feeney's style of writing and hope to read more of her work in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Flatiron Press via NetGalley.

While this debut novel did have potential, it felt a bit like the author was trying too hard for that something that makes a memorable psychological thriller. The twists abound, but there were so many and they became so outrageous that the belief factor just flew out the window. In addition to chapters alternating between then and now, plus before, after, and later, we have characters that are called one name them and another now, characters that may or may not be real, and no one among them all that made me want to root for them. Despite the many attempts, I didn't find anything to give the story that edge of your seat, heart-racing feeling that should come with a thriller, and what started with such great potential quickly became convoluted and disappointing.

I had a hard time completing this book - it was confusing and the author made it hard to like the main character. Or what you thought was the main character - which is another part of the book that confused me. The ending of the book, I liked. It came full circle but overall, I had a hard time reading this book and felt myself skimming over parts.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Wow, what a ride! This was one of the best psychological suspense/thrillers I have read to date, and also one with the most “twists and turns.” This book was so hard to put down that I devoured it in two sittings, frantically turning pages in anticipation of finding out what was going to happen and then being surprised as each twist was bigger than the one before it. The ending left me reeling and to be honest, even after reading the last few paragraphs a few times, I’m still not quite sure I “got” it – I don’t know if the author Alice Feeney intended to leave the ending up to interpretation or perhaps a follow-up is planned, but either way, the suspense level was definitely pushed to the max. The entire story was unpredictable and just when I thought I had something figured out, the plot went in a different direction altogether – basically, the more I read, the more I didn’t know who or what I should believe, yet at no point did I feel frustrated with the direction the story went, which to me is an indication of the author’s skill and talent. The title of this book, Sometimes I Lie, is absolutely fitting – in fact, I would say it’s the perfect title given everything that happened in the story.

If I were to choose one word to describe this book, I would absolutely choose the word “clever.” The format of the book is cleverly laid out with chapters simply titled Now, Then, and Before – the author slowly reveals clues throughout the alternating chapters, then cleverly weaves each revelation in one chapter into the backstory in the next chapter. Despite the seemingly complicated structure, the author made it look effortless, as the story flowed extremely well, though there were a few scenes involving one of the characters (Edward) that I thought were not all that necessary while there were a few other characters that I had hoped to learn more about. Overall though, these small “gripes” were insignificant and did not affect how much I enjoyed this read.

Almost all of the reviews on this book advise to go into this one knowing as little as possible, which I absolutely agree with – this is why I opted to write this review as vaguely as possible while still relaying my general feelings on what I had read. I highly recommend this one and am sure that thriller fans especially will enjoy it!

After I finished the book, I immediately went online to research more on the author as well as the book. Once again, I am completely blown away by the fact that this amazing work is actually the author’s debut novel and am equally floored to hear that some parts of the story were actually based on her personal experiences, which explains why so many of the scenes – especially the ones in the hospital – felt so real. I also found out that the author has a second book coming out in January 2019 (for those who are thinking this is perhaps the “follow up” to this story, the author clarified in an interview that the story is completely unrelated but will be just as “dark and twisty”). You can bet that I will be one of the first in line to get my hands on the second book when it comes out!!

Received ARC from Flatiron Books via NetGalley

Whoa. Finished this a 3am. We know from the title that Amber Reynolds is probably going to be an unreliable narrator, but I definitely did not have this one all figured out. Amber "wakes up" in the hospital realizing she is in a coma. She can't move, speak or see, but she can hear everything in the room. She is in danger and her helpless state creates a terrifying tension. I should say that I read a LOT of psychological thrillers. I mean a LOT. It is not easy to surprise me, but this book definitely did. There was a point in this story where I put it down and said to myself, "WHAAAAAT?" Mind blown. I am thinking I might have to re-read it now that I know all of the plot twists. I received an advance copy of Sometimes I Lie, by Alice Feeney from NetGalley.

Did. Not. See. That. Coming. Wow, talk about being blindsided! I love thrillers and this one hooks you from the beginning as on page one we know the protagonist, Amber is in a coma, believes her husband doesn't love her, and admits to sometimes lying. Told in alternating chapters from "then," "now" and often "before diary entries," the novel increases in suspense as Amber tries to piece together the events that led to her hospitalization; we witness her frustration as she is paralyzed, and can't open her eyes or remember much, but is aware of what is going on in the room as she hears her husband and sister talking about her. Feeney deftly weaves together the story of Amber, her family and co-workers and manipulates the reader like putty. I love a good twist, but my head was spinning so much I felt like I was in the Exorcist! Two days later I'm still reeling from the ending! This is a must-read for thriller fans. You can't put it down!

Wow! This was a fun book to read. As many other reviewers have mentioned, I, too, went back to re-read to fully "get" the twists and turns. The story is told from"before," "then," "now," and "later" perspectives, and really kept me on my toes. Don't make assumptions, because "sometimes [she] lie[s]." I won't go into details, since you can get those from the book description. Enjoy!

Amber wakes up in the hospital in a coma after an accident, which she cannot remember. She is paralyzed, unable to move or speak. She feels convinced that her husband, Paul, may have had something to do with it. Her visitors include Paul and her sister, Claire.

Well, this is an interesting one. The novel takes the unreliable narrator trope to the highest level. After all, Amber is in a coma, with memory issues. She also tells us, at the beginning of the novel, that she lies. Armed with this information, we are thrown headfirst into the story, trying to figure out exactly what has happened. The reader struggles along with Amber to learn what happened as she overhears snippets in her hotel room. It's quite the ride.

The novel is told in three parts: Amber's thoughts as she struggles to remember from within the coma, Amber telling events as they lead up to the accident, and snippets of childhood journal entries. The result is a confusing, suspenseful read that makes you instantly suspicious about everything and everyone. The novel is full of warning signs and creepy moments. It also features its share of impressive twists and turns. I was definitely shocked a couple of times.

I was, honestly, a little confused sometimes too. I have some weird feelings on this one. It's a great thriller. It keeps you guessing, and it surprises you. A lot, if you're me. I'm not sure I always enjoyed it, but I'm certainly impressed by it, if that makes any sense. No more details, as I highly recommend going in spoiler-free.

The very best thrillers combine plot with the reader’s imagination. The writer’s skill in holding back is as important as everything else available in the story. Unfortunately, author Alice Feeney held nothing back in SOMETIMES I LIE, literally nothing was omitted. The result is that early readers are flooded with too much information to understand the ending. There’s just too much going on to make sense of the tale, or to understand the final scenes. The mood and tension of the book is dissipated through sheer information overload by the final third of the book. Feeney can write well and create a good thrilling vibe; she needs help editing her work. This was almost really good. I received my copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

For a good portion of this novel, I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. I will say that I read it over the course of twenty-four hours because I COULD NOT STOP reading it, so that’s certainly something.

Amber Reynolds tells her story from her hospital bed where she’s in a coma. She can hear the voices of nurses, her husband, and her sister, but she can’t react to them in anyway. She shares her tale of what happened in the few days leading up to the coma and in the past.

Because she has partial amnesia and is high on drugs, she makes for the ultimate unreliable narrator so you yourself can’t figure out what is real and what is scrambled. Once you make it to the end and all the deceptions are unraveled, it makes for an extremely satisfying story.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, which will be RELEASED MARCH 13, 2018.

When Amber Reynolds "wakes up" in a hospital and realizes she's in a coma, she has to scrounge to pick up the pieces of her memories and figure out what has happened to her. With only faint memories and eerie dreams to guide her, Amber is not sure what event led to her comatose state. The only thing she is sure of--is that her husband had something to do with it. 

Simultaneously giving readers a current, in-the-hospital, timeline... a "before the accident" timeline... and a set of diary entries from the early 1990's.. this book weaves reader in and out of twist after turn, always questioning the narrators point of view and the motives (and lies) of others!

★  ☆  ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆

What a wild ride this novel was!

This was one of those novels where your narrator is not entirely reliable. She is suffering from anxiety, OCD, and some serious trauma from not only the even that led to her comatose state, but also from life events that readers are not yet aware of. Amber kept me questioning her as a character.. but yet I was also questioning everyone who was involved with her story. So many lies... such a twisted history... so much drama!

I am usually pretty good and picking up the breadcrumbs that the author is leaving behind in order to formulate some type of theory about the novel's twist. This was one title that got me. Everything that I thought was... wasn't. Nothing was as it seemed and I had so many things completely backwards. 

And y'all, let me just tell you.  The ending to this novel was on point! Feeney leaves you with a sneaky little clifhanger that, thankfully, will be followed up with a second installment, Sometimes I Kill.  I cannot wait to get my hands on it!!!



Thank you to Alice Feeney, Flatiron Books,  and NetGalley for providing me with a DRC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

The premise of the story: My name is Amber Reynolds.
There are three things you should know about me:
1. I'm in a coma.
2. My Husband doesn't love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.

This grabs you so fast and holds you not only until the last page but days later. You will go back and reread some things just to make sure you didn't miss something because you will be sure that you did! Fast, suspenseful, what a ride! The well developed characters just add to, what is such a great story line.

There are three things you need to know about Sometimes I Lie:
1. Nothing and no one in this book is what they seem.
2. Once you start reading it, you won’t be able to put it down.
3. This book will mess with your head.

So grab your copy, clear your diary (you don’t want to be interrupted while reading it) and enjoy the ride (you might get dizzy from all the crazy twists though).